Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Matamoros

For one person, living is cheaper in Matamoros: $1,223 a month against $1,639 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Matamoros
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Matamoros Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,639

/mo nomad

Matamoros

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Medellin and in Matamoros

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Medellin and in Matamoros actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,639 in Medellin versus $1,223 in Matamoros.

Medellin $1,639
Matamoros $1,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,413 in Medellin versus $1,913 in Matamoros.

Medellin $2,413
Matamoros $1,913

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,186 in Medellin versus $2,604 in Matamoros.

Medellin $3,186
Matamoros $2,604

Living in Medellin is roughly 34% more expensive than in Matamoros, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Medellin is 20% above, Matamoros is 10% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.09 COP 25.6K

$12.16 MX$228

-33.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.05 COP 148.7K

$49.10 MX$921

-4.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 COP 30.0K

$7.21 MX$135

31.76%

Cappuccino

$3.01 COP 9,532

$3.04 MX$57.1

-0.99%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 COP 5,688

$1.24 MX$23.30

45.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 COP 4,465

$0.89 MX$16.77

58.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.18 COP 10.0K

$2.26 MX$42.44

40.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 COP 18.2K

$4.03 MX$75.6

42.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 COP 4,774

$1.36 MX$25.59

11.03%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 COP 7,517

$2.25 MX$42.26

5.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 COP 5,601

$1.66 MX$31.13

6.63%

Eggs

$2.89 COP 9,138

$2.42 MX$45.45

19.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 COP 32.2K

$7.39 MX$139

37.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.87 COP 31.2K

$7.01 MX$132

40.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.99 COP 44.2K

$12.98 MX$243

7.78%

Apples (1kg)

$3.97 COP 12.6K

$2.34 MX$43.81

69.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 COP 4,907

$1.40 MX$26.18

10.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,901

$2.08 MX$38.97

4.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 COP 6,904

$1.54 MX$28.96

41.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 COP 6,205

$1.98 MX$37.18

-1.01%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 COP 5,025

$1.69 MX$31.71

-5.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 COP 3,622

$1.42 MX$26.69

-19.01%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,930

$1.20 MX$22.46

3.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 COP 12.5K

$4.50 MX$84.4

-12.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 COP 43.3K

$10.37 MX$194

31.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,247

$1.63 MX$30.53

1.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 COP 7,139

$3.49 MX$65.5

-35.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.17 COP 3,692

$0.67 MX$12.52

74.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.4 COP 244.6K

$26.10 MX$489

196.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 COP 4,009

$2.59 MX$48.64

-50.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 COP 6,474

$1.66 MX$31.21

23.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.55 COP 27.0K

$10.36 MX$194

-17.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,258

$1.24 MX$23.30

8.87%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$34.1K COP 107.7M

$26.8K MX$502.6K

27.09%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$34.7K COP 109.6M

$23.8K MX$446.3K

45.67%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$170 COP 536.4K

$60.0 MX$1,124

182.99%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$13.55 COP 42.8K

$23.23 MX$436

-41.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.07 COP 88.7K

$25.06 MX$470

12.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.70 COP 138.2K

$35.46 MX$665

23.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.19 COP 54.3K

$19.94 MX$374

-13.79%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 COP 21.9K

$4.54 MX$85.2

52.20%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$797 COP 2.5M

$212 MX$3,979

275.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,112 COP 28.8M

$4,551 MX$85.3K

100.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.7 COP 267.8K

$55.0 MX$1,032

53.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.0 COP 183.2K

$34.19 MX$641

69.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 COP 426.7K

$93.6 MX$1,755

44.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 COP 309.4K

$88.2 MX$1,653

10.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 COP 3.8M

$611 MX$11.5K

97.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 COP 2.0M

$475 MX$8,912

34.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,028 COP 6.4M

$1,087 MX$20.4K

86.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 COP 3.2M

$818 MX$15.3K

23.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,170 COP 13.2M

$2,171 MX$40.7K

92.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 COP 6.0M

$1,200 MX$22.5K

59.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$657 COP 2.1M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

11.31

-3.27%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Medellin: October 25, 2026

Last update for Matamoros: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$642 39.1%

Matamoros

$475 38.9% 25.9% $166

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$297 18.1%

Matamoros

$250 20.4% 15.8% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$211 12.9%

Matamoros

$108 8.9% 48.8% $103

Eating Out

Medellin

$170 10.4%

Matamoros

$183 15% 8.1% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$169 10.3%

Matamoros

$122 10% 27.8% $47

Getting Around

Medellin

$94 5.7%

Matamoros

$40 3.2% 57.6% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$58 3.5%

Matamoros

$45 3.6% 22.6% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,208 in Medellin and $611 in Matamoros. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $47 in Medellin vs $49 in Matamoros. Groceries flip the comparison at $297 vs $250, with Matamoros cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇲🇽 Matamoros

🕒 Local time

08:56 8:56 AM

Same time as Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

510,739

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.16 USD

10,000 COP = 2.83 EUR

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3,162 COP (10,000 COP = 3.16 USD). 1 EUR = 3,528 COP (10,000 COP = 2.83 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.75 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.92 MXN (100 MXN = 4.78 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Medellin Matamoros 3,190 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
Matamoros

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Medellin vs Matamoros: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Matamoros wins on cost – living expenses run 25% lower than in Medellin. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Matamoros the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $2,459 in Medellin and $1,835 in Matamoros to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,208 in Medellin versus $611 in Matamoros. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Medellin – a meal for two runs $47 versus $49 in Matamoros. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,639 per month in Medellin versus $1,223 in Matamoros – Matamoros is about 25% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Matamoros is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.